U.I.A. WORK PROGRAMME 'EDUCATION'

UIA/UNESCO CHARTER
FOR ARCHITECTURAL EDUCATION

We, the architects, concerned by the future development of architecture in a fast changing world, believe that everything, influencing the way in which the built environment is made, used, furnished, landscaped and maintained, belongs to the domain of the architects. We, being responsible for the improvement of the education of future architects to enable them to work for a sustainable development in every cultural heritage, declare: 
 

I. GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS 

1. That the new era will bring with it grave and complex challenges with respect to social and functional degradation of many human settlements, characterized by a shortage of housing and urban services for millions of inhabitants and by the increasing exclusion of the designer from projects with a social content.

This makes it essential for projects and research conducted in academic institutions to formulate new solutions for the present and the future. 
 

2. That architecture, the quality of buildings, the way they relate to their surroundings, the respect for the natural and built environment as well as the collective and individual cultural heritage are matters of public concern.

3. That there is, consequently, public interest to ensure that architects are able to understand and to give practical expression to the needs of individuals, social groups and communities, regarding spatial planning, design organization, construction of buildings as well as conservation and enhancement of the built heritage, the protection of the natural balance and rational utilization of available resources.

4. That methods of education and training for architects are very varied; this constitutes a cultural richness which should be preserved.

5. That, nevertheless, it is prudent to provide a common ground for future action, not only in the pedagogical methods used, but also with the aim of achieving an appropriate elevated level, by establishing criteria which permit countries, schools and professional organizations to evaluate and improve the education given to the future architects.

6. That the increasing mobility of architects between the different countries calls for a mutual recognition or validation of individual diplomas, certificates and other evidence of formal qualification.

7. That the mutual recognition of diplomas, certificates or other evidence of formal qualification to practise in the field of architecture has to be founded in objective criteria, guaranteeing that holders of such qualifications have received and maintain the kind of training called for in this charter.

8. That the vision of the future world, cultivated in architectural schools, should include the following goals:

1. Since architecture is created in a field of tension between reason, emotion and intuition, architectural education should be regarded as the manifestation of the ability to conceptualize, co-ordinate and execute the idea of building rooted in human tradition.

2. Architecture is an interdisciplinary field that comprises several major components: humanities, social and physical sciences, technology and the creative arts. Architectural education is available at universities, polytechnics and academies. The education leading to formal qualifications and permitting professionals to practise in the field of architecture has to be guaranteed to be at university level with architecture as the main subject.

3. The basic goal is to develop the architect as a generalist able to resolve potential contradictions between different requirements, giving form to the society’s and the individual’s environmental needs.

4. Architectural education involves the acquisition of the following:

• an ability to create architectural designs that satisfy both aesthetic and technical requirements;
 
• an adequate knowledge of the history and theories of architecture and the related arts, technologies and human sciences;
 
• a knowledge of the fine arts as an influence on the quality of architectural design;
 
• an adequate knowledge of urban design, planning and the skills involved in the planning process;
 
• an understanding of the relationship between people and buildings, and between buildings and their environment, and of the need to relate buildings and the spaces between them to human needs and scale;
 
• an understanding of the profession of architecture and the role of the architect in society, in particular in preparing briefs that take account of social factors;
 
• an understanding of the methods of investigation and preparation of the brief for a design project;
 
• an understanding of the structural design, constructional and engineering problems associated with building design;
 
• an adequate knowledge of physical problems and technologies and of the function of buildings so as to provide them with internal conditions of comfort and protection against the climate;
 
• the necessary design skills to meet building users’ requirements within the constraints imposed by cost factors and building regulations;
 
• an adequate knowledge of the industries, organization, regulations and procedures involved in translating design concepts into buildings and integrating plans into overall planning.

5. Architectural students should be made critically aware of the political and financial motivations behind clients’ briefs and building regulations in order to foster an ethical framework for decision making within the built environment. Young architects should be encouraged to assume responsibilities as professionals within society.

6. Educational programmes should promote architectural design which considers the cost of future maintenance, also taking into account that, unlike traditional construction methods with low maintenance materials, some contemporary, experimental and unproved industrial systems and materials require constant and expensive maintenance.

7. The balance acquisition of knowledge and skills cited in point 3 requires a long period of maturation; the period of studies in architecture should always be not less than five years of full-time studies in a university or an equivalent institution, plus two years' experience in an architectural practice. At least one year must be devoted to professional practice following the conclusion of academic studies.

The training should be formalized by an examination at the end of the programme of studies, the principal part being an individual presentation and defence of an architectural project demonstrating the acquired knowledge and concomitant skills. For this purpose, juries should include practising architects and teachers from other schools and, if possible, from other countries.

8. In order to benefit from the wide variety of teaching methods, exchange programmes for teachers, and students at advanced level, will be desirable. Ideally final projects should be shared among schools as a means of facilitating comparison between results and self-evaluation of teaching establishments, through a system of international awards and exhibitions.

9. Issues related to the architecture and the environment should be introduced as part of a general education at schools, because an early awareness of architecture is important to both future architects and users of buildings.

10. Systems for continuing education must be set up for architects; architectural education should never be considered as a closed process.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned goals, the following aspects should be taken into account: 

1. Educational establishments are advised to create systems for self-evaluation and peer-review conducted at regular intervals, including in the review panel, teachers from other schools and practising architects.

2. Each teaching institution must adjust the number of students according to its teaching capacity. Criteria for the selection of students shall be in relation to the aptitudes required for a successful training in architecture and will be applied by means of an appropriate selection process, organized by the schools at the point of entry in the programme.

3. Modern personalized computer technology and the development of specialized software make it imperative to teach the use of computers in all aspects of architectural education. Adequate laboratories, facilities for research, advanced studies, information and data exchanges for new technologies should be provided at schools of architecture.

4. The creation of a network, on a worldwide basis, for the exchange of information, teachers and senior students, is necessary in order to promote a common understanding and to raise the level of architectural education.

5. Continuous interaction between practice and teaching of architecture must be encouraged and protected.

6. Research should be regarded as an inherent activity of architectural teachers. This architectural research must be founded on project work, construction methods, as well as academic disciplines. Specific review panels are to be created to evaluate architectural research and architects must be included in the general evaluation research commissions.

7. Design project work must be a synthesis of acquired knowledge and concomitant skills.

The architectural curriculum should include the subjects referred to under the educational objectives (Section II.3) of this charter. 

Individual project work with direct teacher/student dialogue must form a substantial part of the learning period and occupy half of the curriculum. 
 

This Charter was created on the initiative of UIA and UNESCO, with the ability of being applied by any architectural school on the international and national levels. 

We hope that this Charter could be used for the creation of a global network of architectural education within which individual achievements can be shared by all. 

We hope that this Charter, in its appeal to the whole world, can help in the understanding that architectural education constitutes both the sociocultural and professional challenge of the contemporary world, and needs the guarantee of protection, development and urgent action.